______________________________________________________
*The Following Monday*
Adam was only half awake as he arrived at the hotel that morning. His flight had been most unrestful but more so because of all the stuff going on in his head more than anything else.
He yawned as he checked into his room. He couldn't stop thinking about Amy - and Mandy - as he lugged his bag inside. The little girl had off from school today, so she was with her mother but would be picked up to go home shortly before RAW. No doubt, it would be boring for a six-year-old all day, so an idea suddenly came to him.
The tall blond man smiled as he headed out of his hotel room and made his way toward Amy's. He knew what room number she had and was glad it wasn't far from his own.
As he arrived, he reached out to knock. After waiting for a moment, the door was opened, and a fresh but sleepy-looking redhead peered out at him.
"Hi." She smiled, and it reached all the way up into those incredible hazel eyes. Adam felt as though he were melting. Damn it, she was beautiful.
"Hi," he replied, a warm smile touching his lips. "I was just in the neighborhood," he continued teasingly, and his heart swelled at the way the woman's smile increased into a full-fledged happy grin. "I was wondering if you two ladies would like to join me for some good, old-fashioned fun later on...?"
Amy smiled up at him, cocking her head as she held the door open widely, inviting him inside. As he entered, he saw that Amanda was sound asleep in the middle of the Queen-sized bed. The kid was out like a light.
He smiled and shifted his gaze back to the redhead.
"Oops," he said, his voice down to a whisper. "Maybe I should go."
"No... no," Amy protested. "Don't..." She reached out for his arm. "... I would love your company." Her eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him.
"Well... all right," he replied softly. "I just wouldn't wanna disturb Sleeping Beauty..." He gestured to Mandy.
The redhead's smile brightened some more, a tiny, melodious chuckle escaping her.
"She can sleep through a war," she quipped. "Though I couldn't have forseen that during my pregnancy..." When the tall blond man arched a brow questioningly, she elaborated. "She was pretty restless in the womb - kicked her mommy every chance she got." She glanced from her daughter and then up into Adam's green eyes, the smile now tiny on her lips. Her hand slid down his arm, and the blond man, without even thinking about it, slipped his hand to her much smaller one. He held onto it and gently squeezed it, his fingers caressing hers. His gaze seemed completely fixed to her face, those eyes.
Amy's breath caught in her throat at just the mere sensation of holding his hand. His were so large and warm, and so surprisingly soft. She found herself suddenly incapable of even thinking...
"Mommy?"
She snapped back to reality in an instant, pulling her hand from the blond man's.
"Hey, sleepyhead."
"Hi, Uncle Adam!" Mandy said sleepily. She climbed off the bed to give him a hug.
Amy was silent as she watched them, a myriad of emotions swirling through her.
*
Later, the three of them were having a blast together. Amy was glad Adam had come up with the idea - and for the last hour or so, they'd been at the small bowling alley across the street and a couple of blocks from the hotel.
Mandy seemed to be having the most fun, but the redhead was really enjoying herself as well. However, she didn't know for sure if the same could be said for Adam.
The tall blond man wasn't much of a bowler, as evidenced by several gutterballs he'd thrown. She, on the other hand, was decent and had so far thrown a game in the 150s. Amanda didn't seem to care about her scores, the little girl thrilled with just the act of bowling in itself. She hadn't even wanted bumpers when asked about them. In fact, she thought Adam needed them more than Mandy did, which made her chuckle.
"I give up..." the tall blond man muttered, though a big, bright grin came to his face. He'd thrown a gutter in the first ball of the tenth frame, then only picked up a seven, finishing with a grand total of 109.
"Oh, well - at least you passed 100 this time!" Amy laughed, sticking her tongue out at him teasingly.
"Yeah, yeah - you're up, showoff!"
As the redhead rose to finish her game, Mandy climbed into Adam's lap, clapping and cheering her mother on. And Amy ended up throwing a turkey - three strikes - to end the game, giving her a 204!
"Oh, my God!" she squealed as her score finally displayed. She was jumping up and down in her delight as Mandy and Adam came toward her. "That's my first 200!" she exclaimed, jumping up into the blond man's arms. "My best game ever!"
The tall Canadian hugged her arms against him as he showered her with praises, then pulled back to gaze into her face.
Their eyes locked and held, and he was struck with the urge to kiss her. Her smile waned as she seemed about to do something, but then he guessed she'd thought better of it.
The moment now passed, Adam swallowed hard and tried to focus instead on the ecstatic Mandy.